Man who helped in ebola crisis is awarded an OBE

The Queen has recognised the efforts of a Chorley man who did vital work during the ebola crisis in Africa.

Shaun Edgerley, a former pupil at St Michael’s High School in Chorley, was awarded an OBE in the New Year honours list.

“It was a bit of a surprise. There are plenty of other people that deserve these kind of things not least the many people in Sierra Leone who were affected by it directly.”

Shaun Edgerley

The 34-year-old is a humanitarian advisor providing vital support in incidents around the world, such as earthquakes, wars and floods, for the Government’s Department For International Development.

Shaun, who grew up in Clayton-le-Woods and now lives in London, said: “It was a bit of a surprise. There are plenty of other people that deserve these kind of things not least the many people in Sierra Leone who were affected by it directly.

“It was a real surprise and really great news.”

Shaun goes to incidents to assess what has happened and what the people who are affected need.

He said: “It’s usually the basics like water, food, sanitation. Then we put together the package of assistance from the UK to deal with those needs.

“The ebola one was different. I have been to different emergencies but not a disease outbreak like that. No-one had really dealt with something on that scale so it was a complete learning experience for everyone.”

Shaun was based in the Bombali district of Sierra Leone from October 2014 until June 2015.

The team’s work included getting alerts about people with suspected ebola so they could be tested, supporting people put into quarantine and making sure those who had died were buried safely to prevent the disease spreading.

Precautions were taken to ensure Shaun and his colleagues did not contract ebola while they were there.